The bizarre reason why Mike Vrabel is struggling to get a new coaching role

NFL teams frantically interview candidates to fill vacant head coaching positions during the month of January. Mike Vrabel was available on the open market after being dismissed from the Tennessee Titans, but he was reportedly not considered for another job for a bizarre reason. All statistics are sourced from Football Reference.

It was originally reported by The Athletic that an anonymous NFL general manager said Vrabel’s physical stature could have been a factor in him being passed over for head coaching opportunities in January.

According to The Athletic, the anonymous general manager said “He’s a very large human being. And can be very intimidating to people in an organization.”

The Athletic also reported that the anonymous general manager said “I’m just telling you, I’ve been in rooms. And somebody’s physical presence can make a difference.”

According to Football Reference, Mike Vrabel is listed at 6’4”, 261 pounds. Before coaching the Tennessee Titans, he had a successful NFL playing career as a linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs.

Vrabel’s most notable years came with the Patriots, where he was a member of three Super Bowl winning teams. He spent 14 years as an NFL player.

Vrabel spent six years as the Titans’ head coach, compiling a record of 54-45 during that span. He was named Coach Of The Year during the 2021 season.

Vrabel finished over .500 in each of his first four seasons in Tennessee, leading the Titans to an AFC championship game appearance in the 2019 campaign. However, the team struggled in his final two years there, finishing with a combined record of 13-21 in that period.

According to Sporting News, Vrabel said that he was willing to part ways with his manhood if it meant winning a Super Bowl with the Titans as a head coach. Since they didn’t win a championship in his tenure there, the public never had the opportunity to follow up on this claim.

Vrabel didn’t end up securing any of the vacant head coaching positions during this cycle, which perhaps led to the speculation about why that was, according to The Athletic. According to Yahoo, many around the league were stunned that the Titans let him go.

For what it’s worth, it sounded like Vrabel was willing to stay in Tennessee despite the franchise’s seeming desire to rebuild. ESPN and others reported that the former Titans head coach said as much in an exit press conference in January 2024.

The Houston Texans are coming off of a successful season under first year coach DeMeco Ryans. Ryans is also a former NFL linebacker, listed at 6’1”, 247 pounds according to Football Reference. The Texans got to the Divisional Round of the playoffs this year in his first year at the helm.

NFL fans don’t need to look further than the Kansas City Chiefs for an example of a physically large coach taking a team to the promised land. According to Popular Net Worth, Andy Reid stands 6’3” tall, and towered over everyone else as a teenager in the NFL’s Punt, Pass and Kick competition in 1971, according to the Kansas City Star.

There are also certain NFL coaches with builds that many would not find intimidating at first glance. Mike McDaniel of the Miami Dolphins stands at 5’9”, and weighs between 170 and 180 pounds according to Sporting News.

It’s hard to believe that with so much on the line, general managers and front office executives are weighing(pun intended) the physical features of their candidates in order to make hiring decisions. However, the individual sourced by The Athletic seemed adamant about this.

As all 32 head coaching positions are filled, Vrabel will be on the outside looking in during next season when it comes to leading a team. However, he should be a popular name on the coaching circuit next year. Let us know which team you think he would fit best with in the comments!